DJ ANGEL FIGUEROA

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Aug 202 min read

Tite Curet Alonso on Encanto Tropical

Episode 41 is a tribute to the prolific songwriter Catalino 'Tite' Curet Alonso of Puerto Rico. He composed more than 2000 songs. A list of nearly 600 notable compositions is here.

Replay Episode 41

Some of the music on Encanto Tropical 41

I spotlight two dozen of his salsa compositions with some context and translation. This includes a few 'cover versions', or interpretations by artists other than those who made original recordings, and also two songs sung by himself.

Tite Curet Alonso — Source: www.discogs.com

This is another episode where simple but rewarding research is part of my preparation. As a basic introduction to this important composer, listeners can discover the nature and genius of Tite Curet Alonso from a selection of songs played by a range of singers/musicians, such as Cheo Feliciano, Rafael Cortijo, Ismael Rivera, Willie Colon, and the Lebron Brothers --among others.

The song selection aims to deliver a balance between certain salsa 'anthems' and lesser-known material.

Background

I first thought about doing a show on Tite Curet Alonso while reading the book Salsa Consciente, where his significance as an influential songwriter in the world of salsa was poignantly explained. A related podcast featuring an interview with the book's author, Andrés Espinoza Agurto, highlighted this point while stressing the humanitarian or socially-aware nature of his song compositions.

From the start of my budding interest in salsa music as a collector, I regularly spotted the name "Tite Curet Alonso" in the credits on CDs or records. (Some examples of songs that I like are 'Primoroso Cantar', 'Sali Porque Sali', 'El Solitario', and 'Con los Pobres Estoy'). However, I was not aware of his truly prolific nature nor of his contribution to a Latino identity until I read Salsa Consciente. Also inspiring was watching a video in which Ruben Blades talks about Tite Curet Alonso (see below).